During your session you can expect to have an enjoyable time. We want to capture your family moments and personality as naturally and comfortably as possible. We try to take a combination of candid, semi-posed and posed shots. Creativity is valued, so don't be afraid to run some ideas by us.

Location:

Your session can be done outdoors or inside, your place or ours. You pick or we can help you decide.

Outdoor photos can be done in a variety of locations, such as: farms, downtown, local parks, walking trail or historic area as well as your home. We love it when the client picks a location that is special to them. Backgrounds of fields, grass, trees, lakes, brick, stone and weathered wood work well, but we are also open to 'out of the box' locations too! Let us know what ideas you have as we are always open to new locations or we can suggest to you some of our favorites. See our investment section for travel rates.

Lifestyle sessions (everyday photos) are some of our favorites. We will come to your home while you bake cookies, read a story or jump on the bed! We will bring all the gear we need and will walk through the house with you to look at what environment and setting you want captured. See our investment section for travel rates.

Lifestyle Session

Our choice location

Client's choice location

Time:

Length of session time is listed in the investment section. We will keep things going at a comfortable fun pace and will be more than understanding of your children's needs as we have little ones of our own.

Time of day: Outdoor photos are best taken during the last hour of daylight. Indoor photos can be done most anytime by appointment.

Weather: We can adjust to the weather for your session. Unless it is storming an outdoor session will not be cancelled. Cloudy overcast days actually make for beautiful soft lighting, and some of the most beautiful skies come after a storm or rain.

The last hour of daylight gives you golden soft light.

This is why it's called the golden hour.

Wardrobe:

Feel free to dress as you prefer, but we offer the following as a suggestion of what works best. It is good to coordinate, but refrain from matching. Start with one key wardrobe piece and build off of it. A wardrobe should consist of at least three to four coordinating colors. Make use of layers, accessorize and use textures. These things really add dimension to your photos. Bold pops of color look great in photos. Don't wear clothes that have large logos or writing on them as it takes away from you. Shoes matter. A unique pair of shoes, heels or rain boots can really add style to your photos.

Layers, Accessorize, Texture

Shoes matter/Bold pop of color

Props:

Bring simple meaningful props such as Grandma's quilt or your child's favorite toy. Bringing something that your child is really interested in will really help you capture this fleeting moment in time.

favorite toy

Cadence loves bubbles!

Grandma's quilt

This little boy loves his blanket (and his sisters)

Session Tips:

Be yourself. I know, easier said than done. However, some of the best pictures come when we are in between posed shots and the family does not realize that I am still going! Laugh, play, cuddle... Not all shots need to have everyone smiling at the camera.

What bonds your family together? Think about this and how we can incorporate into your photos. Do you love to read together? Bring books. Do you love to play football? Bring a ball.

Make sure your children are well rested and bring snacks!

Be prepared to be silly (myself included). If you have tips on how to get your child's natural smile or laugh to come out, please let me know!

Receiving Your Photos:

We will post a few of our favorite photos to our facebook page within a few days (please let us know if you do not wish to have your photos posted). Feel free to tag yourself in these photos.

The rest of the photos will be sent to you in a custom online gallery. You will be given a digital download code to save all of the photos to your computer. These are your photos to share and print as you wish!

----------------WHAT TO EXPECT AT A CARDINAL FAMILY NEWBORN SESSION---------------

Newborn sessions are typically done between 5-14 days after birth. In the first two weeks of life, babies typically sleep and mold better for photos. It is best to book your newborn session well before you have given birth to be sure that we will be able to fit you into our schedule. We will use your due date to book your session. This will give us a rough estimate of when we will do your newborn session. All you have to do is call or message us as soon as your little one is born and we will set up your actual session date. Our newborn sessions also include photos with parents and siblings.

Your newborn session will be done in the comfort of your home. We will supply everything needed (backdrops, blankets, baskets, hats & props). Newborns are typically photographed in the nude or in a wrap. You will not need to worry about clothing. Of course, if you have something that you would like incorporated into the photos (grandma's quilt, knitted hat, etc), please let us know!

We fully understand that you are trusting us with the most precious gift in your life. You can be assured that safety come first. We have four beautiful children of our own and are very good with newborns. You are welcome to stay as close or as far as you need to. I never shoot a newborn without an extra set of hands. There will always be someone right next to your little one.

Custom Set

In Home Session:

Turn up the heat in your house (or turn the air off). You will be sweating, but we need your baby to be comfortable in his/her birthday suit!

Wait as long as possible to feed your little one so that he/she will “sleep like a baby” for the photos . It is okay if you are still feeding when we arrive. We will need time to set up. If at all possible, undress your baby down to just a diaper and wrap him/her in a blanket for the feeding.

We will be at your house for 2-3 hours. Get comfortable! Feel free to stay right next to us or just relax on the couch. As goes with a newborn, we expect diaper changes, fussiness and feedings. We will bring a large set up of flooring, backdrops, beanbag, baskets and props. Be prepared for us to move in

Receiving Your Photos:

We will post a few of our favorite photos to our facebook page within a few days (please let us know if you do not wish to have your photos posted). Feel free to tag yourself in these photos.

The rest of the photos will be sent to you in a custom online gallery. You will be given a digital download code to save all of the photos to your computer. These are your photos to share and print as you wish!

Summary Block

This is example content. Double-click here and select a page to feature its content.
Learn more